INVESTIGADORES
BALDO Juan Diego
artículos
Título:
A tale of two bellies: Systematics of the Oval Frogs (Anura: Microhylidae: Elachistocleis Parker, 1927).
Autor/es:
NOVAES-E-FAGUNDES, G.; M.L. LYRA; V. LOREDAM; T. CARVALHO; C.F.B. HADDAD; M.T. RODRIGUES; D. BALDO; D. BARRASSO; D. LOEBMANN; R.W. ÁVILA; F. BRUSQUETTI; M.F. NAPOLI; P.C.A. GARCIA; A. ALEIXO; A.L.C. PRUDENTE; W.C. WHEELER; V. GOYANNES DILL ORRICO; P.L.V. PELOSO.
Revista:
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
Editorial:
WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC
Referencias:
Lugar: Londres; Año: 2023 p. 545 - 568
ISSN:
0024-4082
Resumen:
The advance of molecular tools accelerated our understanding of the evolutionary history and taxonomic resolution of most living organisms. However, the large geographic distribution and morphological variation of some biological groups thwarts effective sampling and the reciprocal illumination provided by phylogenetic reconstruction and systematic reviews. Oval frogs (Elachistocleis) are one example of such groups, with large geographic distribution (almost all of South America and parts of Central America) and a large inter- and intra-specific variation of the few morphological characters commonly used as diagnostic traits between species of the genus . Herein we provide the most complete phylogeny of Elachistocleis to date, based on genetic data, and explore its genetic diversity using distance-based and tree-based methods for putative species delimitation. Our results show that genetic diversity of Elachistocleis does not match the current taxonomic arrangement for the group. We propose a phylogenetic hypothesis and a set of candidate species that challenges the current taxonomy of Elachistocleis. We also show that at least two of the most relevant traditional characters used in the taxonomy of this group (belly pattern and dorsal median line) carry less phylogenetic information than previously perceived. A comprehensive review of morphology and bioacustic is needed for Elachistocleis, and we urge that it must precede any additional new species description.